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Publications

This project working paper discusses the prevailing system of income security for older persons in Sri Lanka with regard to coverage, beneficiaries and sustainability. The paper finds that the current system is inadequate to provide income security for older persons, as the sustainability of several pension funds is at stake and coverage is relatively low. The paper further calculates the cost of providing universal income security in Sri Lanka.

The Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2015 – Disasters without Borders, is a flagship publication of UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). It provides an overview of the state of disaster resilience in Asia-Pacific region, and places disaster risk reduction at the heart of sustainable development. It identifies emerging new risks in the region and the sectors that are most at risk.

This report features the results of the first UNRCsJoint Survey on Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade Implementation. This global survey was initiated in September 2014 by the United Nations Regional Commissions (UNRCs) i.e. ECA, ECE, ECLAC, ESCAP and ESCWA to collect data and information on trade facilitation and paperless trade implementation from their respective member states.

The State of Asian and Pacific Cities 2015 is the second such report published by UN-Habitat (the United Nations Human Settlements Programme) and ESCAP (the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific). In capturing the region's rapid urban transformation The State of Asian and Pacific Cities 2015 highlights the growing gaps between current urbanisation patterns and what is needed to shift to a more inclusive and sustainable urban future, in which the region’s cities are unquestionably tied to national, regional and global development prospects.

The urban nexus approach aims at integrated planning and management of the key resources of energy, water and food, and this can contribute substantially to the long-term sustainable development of rapidly growing cities and their regions. In supporting integrated approaches it is essential to engage municipal, provincial and national actors towards collaborative planning and management in order to fully utilise the synergies and co-benefits arising from policies which integrate water, energy and food resources.

A waste crisis is emerging in the Asia and Pacific region, fuelled by rising quantities of waste, on the one hand, and poor regulation and management, on the other. This crisis threatens to overwhelm the resources and capacity of local governments and communities alike. Within this crisis, however, is a significant and largely untapped opportunity for transformative change. The waste-to-resource approach promotes a paradigm shift in the management of solid waste.

Published since 1986 by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Asia-Pacific Population Journal (APPJ) brings out high-quality, evidence-based and forward-looking articles on a wide range of population and development issues in Asia and the Pacific.

This issue of the Asia-Pacific Population Journal contains the following articles:

Early marriage as a risk factor for mistimed pregnancy among married adolescents in Bangladesh by Sigma Ainul and Sajeda Amin

Most countries in Central Asia face high trade costs due to their lack of territorial access to the sea, remoteness and isolation from world markets and high transit costs. Reducing trade costs and shortening transit time is a fundamental step towards integrating these countries into the global market. While it is well recognized that transport and logistics infrastructure play key roles in this regard, there is a growing consensus that trade facilitation is also crucial to reducing trade costs through streamlining of the trade process.

The Asian and Pacific Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Decade 2015- 2024 was proclaimed at the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and Pacific, held in Bangkok in November 2014. This publication contains the Ministerial Declaration to "Get Every One in the Picture" and the Regional Action Framework on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific, which were two key outcomes of the Conference.

Services exports from Asia-Pacific least developed countries (LDCs) are growing in volume and should be further encouraged as they can contribute towards export diversification and development. Unlike in the case of merchandise trade, however, until recently LDCs did not receive any preferential market access in services trade. Progress is finally being made towards implementation of a 2011 WTO mechanism (the ‘Services Waiver’) that provides a route for countries to voluntarily offer LDCs preferences in services.